Narmanlı Inn Restoration Protest

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Beyoğlu City Defense members rallying in front of İstanbul Cultural Heritage Preservation District Directorate located in Sirkeci district have demanded restoration project of Narmanlı Inn to be stopped.

The group also asked for the inn to be entirely expropriated and that rooms, chambers to be rented to second-hand booksellers, independent theater groups for rehearsal, musicians looking for studio and drawing office like it used to be.

The members reminding of Demirören Shopping Mall, Cercle d’Orient building that caused demolishment of historical Emek Movie Theater, had noted that the projects being carried out contrary to international preservation agreements in restoration practices in Beyoğlu district over 10 years have increased in number.

There is no archeological inspection

The press statement read by Deniz Özgür has emphasized that historical Narmanlı Inn is living its final days, the trees in its yard were chopped, excavation work is ongoing in the inn even though there is multilayered historical settlement dating back to Byzantine period.

Özgür stating the inn by decoupling it from its previous functions and cultural values will be transformed into an island of restaurants and shops, said that the inn’s countenance will change with construction of glass towers with elevators, and additions to rear building.

Özgür reminding that considering the explanation made by project executor Sinan Genim in the past few days, the rooms where artists such as Aliye Berger, Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar, and Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu carried out their work are unknown, emphasized that Genim is not informed about inn’s historical and physical details.

Beyoğlu City Defense members calling on members of İstanbul Preservation Board No.2 approving the project, namely Ahmet Kaya, Uğur Elibüyük, Bahadır Duman, Zeynep Emel Ekim, Engin Binoğul, Ali Rıza Emre, Aras Can, Kadriye Karabulut and Şuayip Korkmaz at the end of the press statement, demanded the practices performed under the name of restoration to be stopped before the damage inflicted grows. (CY/NV/TK)